Living Above the Frost Line is a dwelling place for practicing poets. It is the home of poet, Nancy Simpson. Above the Frost Line we give ourselves some extra growing time. Yes, we know the hard freeze will come, but until it arrives, we shall grow and share our poems.

Monday, May 28, 2012

The second Friday comes early in June! Please mark your calendars for Writers' Night Out on June 8.

We had a great turn out last month. A few glitches we experienced at the restaurant should be solved this time, as promised by the manager. Specifically, the door to our room will not be used for other patrons passing through to get to the restaurant, we will have a microphone if needed, and the computer billing system will be up and running so we can each pay our bills quicker. That makes the venue just right for our group.

Private Room Upstairs (if you can't do stairs, park in the back upper parking lot and come right into our room via a ramp) 6:00 order food, socialize

6:30 eat, drink, be merry

7:15 featured reader: Ron Salzer

7:35 Break

7:40: Open Mike, 2 1/2 minutes per reader

Come hungry! And come early to order! They have appetizers, salads, dinner entrees and excellent sweets, plus the lunch menu is available at dinner. The restaurant assigns a server just to us, so please support them in return by ordering food or drink. see menu of yummy options here.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Itching to write? Karen Paul Holmes is teaching an all-genre writing class at the Folk School the weekend of July 6. limit 8 students. There are still a few seats. If you live in the mountain counties, you can get a 1/2 price spot. That's only $160 for a fun and inspiring weekend at John C. Campbell. Here's the link to register.

"Calling All Muses. Let’s stir the creative juices with help from other muses. Stream-of-consciousness writing to classical music will get us going. Exploring artists like Monet, the Beatles, or Baryshnikov will spur ideas for characters, plots, or poems. Expect to get a burst of inspiration to finish a writing project—or start a new one. You’ll also receive editing tips to make your pieces stronger and more readable. All levels welcome."

"Karen Paul Holmes, an award-winning writer, has work published in business magazines, literary journals, and anthologies. Her enthusiasm for teaching has given her top ratings for her writing workshops at international conferences. She also taught poetry to students through the Georgia Poetry Society's "Poets in the Schools" program. Karen is a writing coach, poet, freelance writer, and the editor of the North Carolina Writers' Network's Netwest News. She hosts a monthly "Writer's Night Out" in Hiawassee, GA."

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Poets and Writer Reading Poems and Stories will feature the nationally known poet, Robert S. King tonight 7:00 p.m. at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Poet Clarence Newton, author of Short Glances Forwatd And A Long Look Back will also be a featured reader tonight. This program is cosponsored by JCCFS and NC Writers Network West.

Robert S. King is a native Georgian who grew up in the rural
foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He began writing poetry seriously after
he was discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1972. Since then he has published
several chapbooks and two full-length titles (see below).

Because poetry has never paid the bills, he has built a
rather varied, and sometimes contradictory, résumé. To
mention just a few jobs, he has been a Cambodian translator (U.S. Navy), a
bookstore manager, a court reporter, an interlibrary loan manager, a technical
editor, and a software engineer. He retired in 2010 and has been devoting
himself full-time to writing, editing, and publishing poetry.

Robert is the former Director of FutureCycle Press (www.futurecycle.org) and served as
President of the Georgia Poetry Society (www.georgiapoetrysociety.org).Additionally, he is a member ofthe Georgia Writers Association and the
North Carolina Writers Network.

Clarence Newton is a featured author tonight at POETS AND WRITERS READING POEMS AND STORIES scheduled at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, 7:00 p.m. He will be launching his new poetry collection. You must not miss this. Come early. We expect standing room only.

Clarence Newton’s first poetry collection, Short Glances Forward and a Long Look Back, sparkles with humor, yet shows the life of a man who learned that some pain never goes away, some wounds never heal. In “Examination,” one of his strongest poems, he writes: “My beautiful, intelligent child has become a lost man.” Other favorites of mine are the image-rich poems: “Damsel Dancing Sideways” written for his wife, and “ October Sands”, which leaves me with the eternal image of men fishing.

Newton’s keen observation after over forty years in an aviation career comes through in his poems, whether he observes the human nature of pilots on a misguided bombing mission or when he watches a hawk circling its prey. His appreciation for poetry gives us his most humorous and delightful poems: “If I were an English Major” and his love poem to Emily Dickinson, “Dream Number 4001.” The reader will cry maybe, will laugh for sure, and keep turning the pages. --Nancy Simpson, author of Night Student and Living Above the Frost Line.

SHORT GLANCES FORWARD AND A LONG LOOK BACK Poems by Clarence Newton was published by Sourwood Cove Publishing and Mountain Graphics, Hiawassee, Georgia. The book may be bought a Phillips and Lloyd Booksellers in Hayesville, NC,

or can be ordered from the author at 1951 Rolling Meadows, Young Harris, Georgia 30582.($12.00 includes postage and handling.)

From the Back Cover

“The observant eye of Clarence Newton, his original way of encountering the world, often humorously and always thoughtful, invites the reader to come along for an enriching journey

--Janice Townley Moore, autor of Teaching the Robins.”

“Clarence Newton’s writing is entertaining at the same time it tells us something important. A pervasive quality in his work is humor. Particularly in verse, the author is quite clever (as in “Froggy”)He has a serious side as well (see “Short Glances Forward and a Long Look Back.”

--Robert S. King, author of The Hunted River and The Gravebigger’s Roots.

It is always a delight to read poetry that is playful. And Clarence Newton’s poems are not only playful, but often have a biting edge. There are no wasted words, and plenty of sharp and witty observations that leave the reader pondering long after the poem has been read. A good poem should stick with you, and these will, along with a grin or chuckle, too. --Rosemary Rhodes Royston, Poet and Writing Instructor.

Also featured on the POETS AND WRITERS READING POEMS AND STORIES program co sponsored by NC Writers Network West and John C. Campbell Folk School, will be nationally known poet Robert S. King. (see following feature on Robert. S. King.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Jack J. Prather is a member of NCWN and NCWN West. I want to announce his new book. Visit his website. Twelve Notables in Western North Carolina is due to be released in May 2012.

Please read more below.

Attached is information about Jack J. Prather's new book, Twelve Notables in Western North Carolina, due to be released in late May. To view the book cover and photos of the 12 Notables, visitwww.futurenowpublishing.com.

Also attached is the process to follow for supporting the new Young Writers Scholarship founded by Jack at Warren Wilson College in April. He is donating a portion of book proceeds to the scholarship fund and handling external fundraising; WWC is responsible for grants and alumni donations.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Come and join us to listen, to read at open mic or to have coffee and socialize with the writers, poets, and those who enjoy writing. You will really enjoy Barbara Gabriel - read her bio- who will be leaving us this summer. See you Wednesday.

COFFEE WITH THE POETS IN HAYESVILLE FEATURES BARBARA GABRIEL

Barbara Gabriel of Murphy, NC will be the featured poet at Coffee with the Poets, Wednesday, May 9, 10:30 a.m. at Café Touche, 83 Main Street in Hayesville, NC .

Barbara Gabriel grew up in Minnesota along highway 61. She ran away to sea in her twenties, living aboard boats, ships and other floaty things. Her passions are travel and food, and she tries to combine those any chance she gets. Barbara has traveled, lived and eaten in South America, Turkey, North Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. She makes a seriously lemon tart and is on a lifelong search for the world's best french fries.

Barbara has been gathering writing material for fifty years while impersonating a chef, cruise director, ice cream scooper, sailor, child advocate, landscaper, package designer, banker, medical technician, dive master, log cabin builder, and a really bad waitress. In her current state of mind she is a salvage artist and writer. Until recently, she shared her writing only with her husband and dogs. She was recently published in the online journal of topical poetry "Poetry24."

Barbara has lived in western North Carolina for nine years and is about to embark on a new adventure when she, her husband Brian, and their dogs Gracie and Scout move to Portland, Oregon later this summer.

Members of the local community are always invited to Coffee with the Poets to listen, buy a muffin and a cup of coffee, or read an original poem at open mic.

This event is sponsored by NCWN West (Netwest) the western chapter of the North Carolina Writers' Network. Contact Glenda Beall, 828-389-4441 for more information.

My mother always said, "You are too sensitive!" I thought that was something bad. Later in the MFA Writing program, my major professor Heather McHugh declared I was indeed "sensitive" and she explained, "It is a blessing and a curse." I am, old now and I know the full power in being "sensitive." Mainly, the word explains what it means to be fully human as a humanitarian is human, the joy and the pain of it.

WHO DID HE THANK FIRST?

Kevin Costner, recent winner of the Lifetime Critic's Award (2015), thanked many, but at the time, his first thank you went "to the writers."

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New N.C. Antholgy of Poetry

New and Excellent Collection of North Carolina Poetry is now available with poems by:

AMERICAN LIFE IN POETRY

Ted Kooser's popular newspaper column AMERICAN LIFE IN POETRY featured Nancy Simpson's poem "Pink Pantsuit" in his column read by millions of readers weekly. "Pink Pantsuit was chosen from poems published in Living Above the Frost Line New and Selected Poems. The poem was first published by LIGHT YEAR.

NANCY SIMPSON featured on GWARLINGO

IMAGES AND CONTENT

Do not copy any image without permission.

All Images and Content subject to copyright are copyrighted, either by the site owner or by the individual poet or the poetry press. If you like what you read and want a copy please ask. With poetry, most often, copyright reverts to the poet. Therefore, if permission can be given, we will help you to get it, when you ask.

Congratulations

Hats Off to Nancy Simpson whose poem "Leaving in the Dead of Winter" was published in The Southern Poetry Anthology Vol. VII: NORTH CAROLINA, Texas Review Press."Our Great Depression" appears in the Southern Poetry Review, with a focus on Georgia poets. “Years Later - Still the Old Dream” was published on line at FutureCycle Press #27 and also in print. “First Responder” was published in the print anthology American Society - What Poets See, (FutureCycle Press.) Simpson’s poems “Aftermath” and “Mary Cassatt” were published in the poetry magazine Solo Novo (California.) “Studying Winter” was reprinted in the world-wide anthology Sunrise from Blue Thunder for Japanese relief after the earthquake/tsunami. Her poem “The Collection” was reprinted in the anthology Collecting Life - Poets on Objects Known and Imagined, with an introduction by Bill Brown professor of American Culture at U. of Chicago.

"Pink Pantsuit" was featured in AMERICAN LIFE IN POETRY, Ted Kooser's nationwide poetry column.

THIS SITE Focuses On Southern And Appalachian Poets and Writers.

LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE IS A DWELLING PLACE FOR PRACTICING POETS. IT IS THE HOME OF POET, NANCY SIMPSON. ABOVE THE FROST LINE WE GIVE OURSELVES SOME EXTRA GROWING TIME. YES, WE KNOW THE HARD FREEZE WILL COME, BUT UNTIL IT ARRIVES, WE SHALL GROW AND SHARE OUR POEMS.

Buy From the Press that Published LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE

Living Above the Frost Line Reviewed by Jaimee Hills in INDY NEWS- This book a finalist

CONGRATULATIONS

Dear Nancy,

What a fine article about you in the Asheville paper! It was such a smooth account of all the dimensions of your talents and contributions. I can imagine having it printed, blown up to poster size, and hung on my wall, adding only one of the really pretty pictures we have of you, too.

I hope this gave you even more pleasure than it has given us to read. There are so many of us that are privately clapping and cheering and saying "Hear, hear."

Keep up the good work because it sustains us all.

Love,

Ellen Andrews

WOW! I got the e-mail about your honor. Congratulations. I know you must be so excited. The news paper article was such a tribute. You have given so much to the network and to all of us as we have found our way through the writing maze.

NEW BOOK REVIEW - LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE Want to read?

A review of Living Above the Frost Line written by Rosemary Royston was also published in Prairie Schooner.

Nancy,

Congratulations for your honors by the Poetry Council of NC. That is wonderful! To me and every poet I know you are our queen! Love, Barbara Groce.

CONGRATULATIONS

I was thrilled to hear about the honors bestowed on you and your book by the NC Poetry Council. You are definitely worthy of that and more. I hope you are feeling deservedly proud. I'll hug you when I see you.

Love,

Karen Holmes

Praise for LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, NEW AND SELECTED POEMS

“NANCY SIMPSON’S POEMS SPEAK WITH A VOICE that knows where it comes from, honoring that place and the web of relationships that exist within it. She can make the world shimmer in a single line. She can break your heart. She can sing. She does what a poet has to do, wake the reader into a fresh vision of reality.” —KATHRYN STRIPLING BYER, North Carolina Poet Laureate Emerita

“HARD-WON, SOMETIMES HARD-BITTEN, the poems of Living Above the Frost Line emerge from the page like daffodils from a snow bank: colorful, hardy and defiant. It is a privilege to be admitted into Nancy Simpson’s intense vision of the world, a pleasure to stand for a while in its light.” —FRED CHAPPELL, North Carolina Poet Laureate Emeritus

Do you want to buy a copy of LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE from Amazon.com?

WANT TO READ A BOOK REVIEW OF ECHOES Across the BLUE RIDGE, edited by Nancy Simpson?

ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE - you can buy your copy here:

ECHOES ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE

The NCWN West anthology, edited by Nancy Simpson, Echoes Across the Blue Ridge, Stories, Essays and Poems by writers Living In and Inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains, published by Winding Path Publishing, is available for purchase at only $16.00.

Poems by Nancy SimpsonJanice Townley MooreMaren O. MitchellKaren Paul Holmesand other nationally known poets who have donated their work to help in the recovery effort in Japan.This is a world wide project of Pirene's Fountain.

A POETRY SITE MANAGED BY Jayne Jaudon Ferrer

SEARCH POET OF THE MONTH

THIS IS A POETRY SITE. If you are interested in reading more poems by featured southern or Appalachian poets, do a search of "POET OF THE MONTH." In March 2010, Ruth Moose was the featured poet. Often the poet of the month is featured two or three times during their birth month. See "Search this Blog" below.

Nancy Simpson

About the Poet

Nancy Simpson's LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, New and Selected Poems was published by Carolina Wren Press (N.C. Laureate Series, 2010.) She is the author of ACROSS WATER and NIGHT STUDENT, State Street Press, still available on WWW at Alibris and Books Again. Her poems have been published in Southern Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, The Georgia Review and other literary magazines.
"Carolina Bluebirds" was published in THE POETS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS, Anhinga Press). "Grass" was reprinted in the 50th Anniversary Issue of Southern Poetry Review: DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY ( U.of Arkansas Press.) Seven poems were reprinted in the textbook, SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN POETRY,(McFarland.) Two poems were published in SOLO CAFE, Two more poems were published in SOLO NOVO."In the Nantahala Gorge" was published in Pisgah Review. "Studying Winter" was reprinted in Pirene's Fountain Anthology and "The Collection" in Collecting Life Anthology.
Most recently, Southern Poetry Review Edited by James Smith, published "Our Great Depression," and The Southern Poetry Anthology Vol. VII: NORTH CAROLINA,Edited by William Wright, reprinted "Leaving in the Dead of Winter."